It's too bold. It's too green. It's too too. There are moments, even in the best designer-client relationships, when doubt and discord take hold and designers find themselves saying some version of "You just need to trust me." Plenty of clients will relent, but others push back, maybe even insist. So, are they ever right?
"Whether you're right or wrong or they're right or wrong, it becomes a gray area, especially with the clients who aren't sure of what they want," says designer Brian McCarthy, who has worked through all kinds of ups and downs with clients in a nearly four-decade career. "When I'm able to say, 'Trust me, this is it,' that comes with deep conviction, and I mostly do it with clients I have a real relationship with." McCarthy says he welcomes debate, especially with those who "have a point of view."
But things do go wrong. Not only in the second guessing of aesthetic decisions but also with delays and cost overruns, issues that ever-more-demanding homeowners tend to have little tolerance for. "Today you have to run your business like a very tight ship," says designer Ernest de la Torre, particularly if you're working "in the billionaire zone," where clients "don't easily forgive mistakes. They want lots of information. And they want things on time."
This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Elle Decor US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of Elle Decor US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
WHAT MAKES AN 'ICON'?
The word gets used a lot these days-especially in the world of design. It's time to consider its true meaning.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
As the television and movie landscape changes, our media rooms are becoming newly multipurpose-and wonderfully stylish.
THIS IS NEWPORT?
Amid the Gilded Age mansions of this historic Rhode Island enclave, a modernist gem with interiors by Poonam Khanna charts a stunning new path.
Petit Palais
However tiny, a pied-à-terre in Paris represents L.A. designer Peter Dunham's grand return to the city of his youth.
Leave It to Peter
As his new book shows, architect Peter Marino will happily build you a house-if you give him the keys.
IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent bring an eclectic point of view to a power couple's new home.
Elsa Eternal
Fifty years after her trailblazing first collection with Tiffany, Elsa Peretti's iconic designs continue to influence how we wear fine jewelry.
Brazil Brut
Andre Mellone adds artful sophistication to the concrete architecture of his sister's São Paulo house.
A-LIST 2024
IT'S HERE OUR ANNUAL LOOK AT THE MOST IMPRESSIVE DESIGNERS ACROSS RESIDENTIAL INTERIORS, ARCHITECTURE, AND LANDSCAPE.
GRAND ALLUSION
Hannes Peer channels his passion for Milan’s design legacy into an apartment renovation that packs in the references with brio.